We are using Microsoft Exchange server 2003. For integration with our web applications I am developing an application similar to Outlook Web Access, and I'm using a library that uses WebDAV to connect to Exchange. I have issues finding the public contacts folder name though. I understand that in normal situations this would be listed under the public folders in Outlook Web Access. However, it doesn't list the folder there for me. I talked to our Exchange admin and he doesn't know why it isn't showing either, I looked at the public folders in the admin screen and the public contact folder simply isn't there either. We are able to use the GAL just fine though, and even http://x.x.x.x/public/?Cmd=galFind&fn=a does work. Does anyone know what could be the issue here? We could of course create a public contact folder in the public folder but that wouldn't be the actual GAL.

I think this link may answer your question.http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=%22getgal+aspx%22&d=76170810034833&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=a015760,6e456fa2Bhargav Shukla|PFE : Messaging |Exchange Server TechCenter|Microsoft Exchange Team Blog | My Threads|My Blog

So the link is basically saying there is no way you can just retrieve the entire GAL? That would seem odd as the developer of the library I'm using sent me this screenshot: http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/3852/publiccontacts.jpgIt shows a public contacts folder in the public folders in Outlook Web Access. I do not have this folder myself though.The developers do have some methods to retrieve this folder as well.Could it be that they have created this public contact folder themselves and that it isn't really the GAL? I would appreciate it if people could tell me if this folder shows for them in their Outlook Web Access.

What you have in screenshot is a folder created by admin and named "Public Contacts". You can createa public folder and make it folder type contact. IT can be named anything, in your instance it is called "Public Contacts". Once created,you can call it by it's name in your code.To clear confusion, there is no built-in "Public Contacts" folder. It is something exchange admin will have to create.Bhargav Shukla|PFE : Messaging |Exchange Server TechCenter|Microsoft Exchange Team Blog | My Threads|My Blog

Alright, they did give me that impression but maybe I understood wrong. Is there an easy way to create such a public contacts folder and import the entire GAL in itand keep it synched? From the information you gave me that seems impossible, but maybe they ment something like that.

I think you may be approachingyour goal in inefficient way. What are you trying to achieve? GAL is an LDAP filter result. The article I mentioned above shows a way to query it and display results.Why would you want to create a public folder and sync GAL to it? I am not sure if it's even doable, but if you write the program to do that it may be possible.There might be a simpler way for what you are trying to do. What is your ultimate goal by doing this?Bhargav Shukla|PFE : Messaging |Exchange Server TechCenter|Microsoft Exchange Team Blog | My Threads|My Blog

I want to be able to have a local database of the GAL fora few reasons, the most important one is that the module I'm developing is going to be used in larger projects and ExchangeGAL Contacts may be used to become linked to say customers or orders. So I want access to this data without constantly having to poll the Exchange server and I want the data to be savedindependently from the Exchange server. Another is that the way our projects are setup may make it hard to dynamically load a data grid after doing a contact search, best would be to have the data in our own database and synchronize it.

Good to know. Not a programmer myself so sorry won't be able to say what the best way is to accomplish the synchronous copy.If you get that to work, you will still be polling Exchange server since Public folders are on it where you will have your synched copy and Exchange will be spending cycles on it when you query it. Question is if your approach will be less expensive on server or direct polling?Bhargav Shukla|PFE : Messaging |Exchange Server TechCenter|Microsoft Exchange Team Blog | My Threads|My Blog

Yeah either way I will be polling, but I can just sync them with a scheduler on occasion. Anyway, I'll figure something out. Thanks for your help.